Meet the 23rd Congressional District candidates: Dede Scozzafava

Dede Scozzafava, 49, was raised in the village of Gouverneur in St. Lawrence County. Scozzafava has served 10 years in the state Assembly. She and her husband, Ron, have four grown children.

Politics
She is enrolled in the Republican Party and has taken a moderate-to-liberal stance on some social issues, supporting same-sex marriage and abortion rights. "My platform of creating more good-paying jobs, reforming health care, and fighting for our seniors is reflective of the people's priorities," she says. She will also appear on the Independence Party ballot line.
She is being endorsed by the National Rifle Association; the New York State United Teachers; and several GOP state lawmakers from the North Country.

Strategy
Appeal to moderate and independent voters among Republicans and Democrats. A key will be to hold onto enough of the Republican base in a district where the GOP outnumbers Democrats by about 50,000 voters.

Background
Scozzafava attended Gouverneur High School before earning a bachelor’s degree from Boston University School of Management and a master's from Clarkson Graduate School of Management. In her business career, she is vice president of Seaway Capital Partners, a company owned by her family.
She launched her career in public office by serving four years as a village of Gouverneur trustee, and then village mayor from 1993 through 1998. In the state Assembly, she became the first woman to serve as floor leader for the Assembly Republican Conference. In that role, she is responsible for leading debates and pushing the agenda of the conference.

Greatest strength
Scozzafava says she is principled and honest, and that her word is good. Her campaign says, “She understands how hard Central New Yorkers work to provide for their families, and she will fight the tax-and-spenders who make it even more difficult. She has an independent record of leadership to back it up.”

Helping Upstate New York
“Dede is part of the team that helped expand Fort Drum, creating more than 1,000 jobs,” her campaign says. “She also knows farmers are struggling and need help. Small businesses need government to get out of the way so they can grow. She will bring this understanding and focus to Washington.”

Unique quality
Scozzafava says she is the only candidate “who has a record of putting partisan politics aside to achieve results for the people she represents.” As the only candidate to hold elected office, she points to her vote against “reckless” government spending when she opposed Gov. David Paterson’s state budget.